It has been hypothesized that environment influences behavior at several levels. People are greatly affected by what they see and what they feel in their surroundings for long periods of time. For a better life and better mind, there must be better management of the environment.

Benefits of Landscaping

Closeness to elements of nature like pools, plants and trees makes people more relaxed, so, incorporating elements of nature in your home brings positive influence on your mind and mood. Nature has a tremendous influence both on our physical and mental health.

Health

A landscaped home sends beautiful messages to the brain which decreases stress level. Plants and grass filter pollutants and provide cleaner air. Because of the pleasant surroundings and atmosphere, the entire family would want to go outside the four walls of the house and stay outdoors and play, which promotes a more fit and active lifestyle.

Value

Landscaping increases the value of your home for when you want to sell it. It makes your home more attractive to potential buyers. Landscape also reduces the time that your property is on the market.

Social

Water Features, Hardscapes, Softscapes, and Patios enhance the beauty and livability of your environment. The attractive features of your environment are guaranteed to draw in more guests for entertainment and relaxation. Local noise and heat is also reduced, and plants act as a buffer to harmful elements.
Pacific Dreamscapes has developed the art of building landscapes. This company is the leader for designing and building natural looking and sounding waterfalls and ponds in San Diego County. Whether you are a homeowner, with a small backyard, who wants to build a fire pit and outdoor kitchen, or a commercial business looking for a spectacular water feature, Pacific Dreamscapes will bring your landscaping dreams to life!

A popular landscaping project these days is installing paving stone driveways and walkways. They look very clean, while also being distinctively different and natural feeling. Doing such an installation is no mean feat, though, particularly if you already have a driveway or other walkways, as they first have to be torn up. Fortunately, your team at San Diego Landscape Design is here to help with some tips on making this landscaping dream a reality.

Get Exact Measurements

Anyone who has ever done a landscaping or construction product will attest to the old adage “measure twice, cut one.” You don’t want to guess at the area that you want to cover. There are lots of ways to get a clear picture of exactly how much space you have to work with. Perhaps the most accurate is to make a scale drawing. It takes some time and effort, but it’s time and effort better spent with pencil and paper than with undoing work that you’ve already done on your property. Measuring tapes, rope and even your garden hose can be helpful tools in nailing down the precise size and shape of the area you want to cover.

Don’t Short Yourself

On a project like paver installation, you’ll need to excavate an area a little wider than what you actually plan to cover. Take this into account in your plans. Once the installation is done, you’ll go back and take care of the extra area you excavated. Most professionals will suggest that the extra space you excavate be equal to the distance to the depth of the base. On a similar note, you’ll need to carefully asses how deep that base should be. There’s no hard and fast rule; you’ll need to consider things like the soil condition, location on the property.

Compact Correctly

Many people doing DIY installations make the mistakes of simply pouring in their base materials and then compacting all of it. With any depth of material 6” or more, this can cause problems later down the road. The correct procedure is to lay about half of the base material, maybe a little more, and compact that, then fill up the rest.

Check Your Work

Because it’s a long, tiring process, many people are tempted to call it done as soon as they’ve laid their last paving stone and start the final compaction. All to often, this leads to regret as they clean up after only to find odd distributions of color, shape or quality. The best practice once you’ve laid all your stones is to clean up as much dust and debris as possible and examine your work. At that point, it’s still quite manageable to rearrange or replace stones as needed.

Your friends at San Diego Landscape Design are here to help all along the way! Contact us with any design or installation questions you may have. Let us help you create the perfect hardscape for you!

Planning a landscaping project? Considering replacing your lawn? There are some compelling arguments on each side of the fence for and against both plastic and natural grass. While there’s no “right answer”, here’s what you need to know about each to help you make the decision that’s best for you.

Plastic Grass

The good: Artificial grass requires little maintenance. It will eliminate the need to regularly water your lawn, deal with mowing and trimming, and requires no fertilization. Some artificial grass looks almost identical to natural grass.

The bad: Artificial grass can be made partially out of recycled materials, but it is not biodegradable. It also cannot absorb pet waste. Although it can be sprayed off and will drain liquids through to the ground, it is an inconvenience for pet owners. Artificial grass also gets very hot in direct sunlight and can make being outside on hot days uncomfortable.

Natural Grass

The good: Grass is beautiful. It’s soft, it stays pretty cool in the summer, it’s inviting, and it produces oxygen all while perfectly finishing off your landscaped look.

The bad: Natural grass must be mowed, watered, and fertilized. In a dry climate, keeping up grass can be a difficult and expensive task. Additionally, the tools and chemicals used to maintain lawns can be damaging to the environment.

Summer seems to be everyone’s favorite season. With school being out and the weather perfect for getting out and enjoying all that nature has to offer, how could it not be?

Summer is right around the corner and it’s time to start planning what you want to do. Are you planning a big vacation? Are you going to check an item off your bucket list? Don’t have any plans yet? Don’t worry, we’ve got a few ideas to help you have a fantastic summer this year!

Vacation in a new place. If you vacation in the same place or in one of the same few places every year, try branching out. If you leave the country, try staying in the same country or same state and find out what your home has to offer. If you’re typically only leaving town for family reunions, try taking a vacation to somewhere you’ve never been but always wanted to go.

Take up a new sport. There’s no better way to get in shape and develop a new skill than joining a sports team. Whether you played in your younger days or have always wanted to try a certain sport, joining a local team can help keep you active and busy and expand your social circle.

Build an oasis in your backyard. Whether you want to start now so that it’s ready for the summer or want to wait and schedule it out over the summer months as your weekend project, building a backyard oasis can benefit you both in the short-term and long-term. Spend every summer evening next to a beautiful pond, then when the weather cools down, enjoy the stars while sitting by your own fire pit.

Need help planning your backyard setup? At Pacific Dreamscapes we offer comprehensive landscaping services in the San Diego, California area. Contact us today for a free estimate.